Apparatus for composing documents

ABSTRACT

Each paragraph of a document is separately typed to define a master strip. An identical distance is maintained between the printed matter and the top of each strip, and a second distance is maintained between the printed matter and the bottom of each strip. The several master strips are placed in a document carrier. The carrier is in turn placed in a composition board for visual alignment of the individual paragraphs. Static electricity is applied to maintain the master strips in alignment with each other. Copies of the composite document are then made.

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States Patent 1191 Jaife 5]March 20, 1973 APPARATUS FOR COMPOSING1,124,531 1/1915 Saltzman 33/1845 x DOCUMENTS 2,138,293 11/1938 Comino..'....33/184.5 ,328,480 1 4 M k ..33 184.5 X [76] Inventor: Leo Jaffe,Bassett Tower, El Paso, 2 8/ 9 3 awlc e l 1 I 7990] PrimaryExaminer-John M. Horan [22] Filed: Dec. 12, 1969 AssistantExaminer-Michael Harris [2]] App No 884 613 Attorney-Stowe" & Stowelland Thomas J. Greer, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT 52 US. Cl B Km U 8 5 Each paragraph of a document isseparately typed to define a master strip. An identical distance is main58 F1111 is h ..95 85,355 75; 33 l 4.5 I 1 e 0 can l 8 tamed between theprinted matter and the top of each [56'] References Cited strip, and asecond distance is maintained between the printed matter and the bottomof each strip. The UNITED STATES PATENTS several master strips areplaced in a document carrier. 1 563 045 "925 Sch'affer 95/85 X Thecarrier is in turn placed in a composition board 314991045 3/1970Essesl....:3: :::::....95/85 Visual alignment of the individualParagraphs- 1,242,523 10/1917 Cornwall ..95/s5 Static electricity is ppd to maintain themaster 1,333,544 3/1920 Grass ..95/85 strips inalignment with each other. Copies of the 1,691,281 11/1928 Graves..95/85 composite document are then made. 3,183,817 5/1965 Sausele..95/85 3,504,613 4/1970 Wagner ..95/85 2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures a iI 1 10 l TITLE ,1

(PARAGRAPH 1) (PARAGRAPH 2) (PARAGRAPH 3) (PARAGRAPH 4) v PATENTEDHARZOI975 SHEET 10F 2 7 FIG. I. n I A IO TITLE l 'ld ll I (PARAGRAPH I)PARAGRAPH 2) (PARAGRAPH 3) PARAGRAPH 4) IMP" 4- I FIG. 2 HM? I W AI J nr (PARAGRAPH I) NH 1 11m '"illllli I" INVENTOR LEO, JAFFE A'I'TUNNIWHPATENTEUMARZO I975 SHEET 2 m 2 FIG. 3.

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'- FIG. 4.

I Z, ,%af/Z 07/ ATTORNEYS APPARATUS FOR COMPOSING DOCUMENTS Thisinvention relates to a method and apparatus for composing documents. Thedocuments may be of a diverse character, such as legal documents,letters, advertising material, books and the like. The inventiondisplays particular utility in the composition of documents which areapt to be changed over the course of time although not in theirentirety. The invention permits the composition of documents having acertain content but whose content may easily be changed.

According to the practice of the invention, each paragraph of a documentis separately typed. The individual paragraphs are then placed upon adocument carrier for subsequent alignment and positioning. Theparagraphs are then placed in copying relationship with a duplicatingmachine, such as a Xerox machine.

In the drawings, 7

FIG. 1 is a view of a completed page after it has been copied by aduplicating machine.

FIG. 2 illustrates a typical master strip defined by a typed paragraphon a sheet of paper.

FIGS. 3 and 4 each illustrate master strips for, respectively, a titleand a page number.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the document carrier of this invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the document carrier of FIG. 5 inposition with respect to a composer board support, and also showingvarious paragraphs in position with respect to the document carrier.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 10 at FIG. 1 denotesgenerally a typical page of a completed document composed by thetechnique of this invention. The title is at the top of the page andseveral paragraphs which may be of different sizes fill the page. At thevery bottom the number of the page appears. The dashed lines indicatethe locations of the master strips (FIG. 2) which will overlap orunderlap, as will be described later.

Referring to FIG. 2, a typical master strip 12 is illustrated. To makesuch a master strip, each paragraph of a document is typed-in the usualfashion except that the paragraph always begins at a fixed distance fromthe top of the sheet. This distance is arbitrarily fixed but should bethe desired distance between the top of the sheet and the firstparagraph of a page of the document. This distance may be referred to asthe underlap because it represents that portion of each master stripwhich lies underneath its upper, adjacent master strip. In FIG. 2 of thedrawings it is denoted by D. When the typist completes the paragraph,the sheet is cut as by a paper cutter with the distance from the bottomof the last line in the paragraph to the bottom of the master strip 12being approximately one-half of the height of the uppercase letters.This is denoted by d of FIG. 2. If the paragraph is unusually long, itmay be divided into two or more parts, always observing theabove-outlined cutting procedure. It is important that each master strip12 have an underlap at the top and the distance d from the bottom asindicated. The underlap insures the distance of the printed materialfrom the top of any page will be equal to D, since after finalcomposition of a page any particular strip may find its location as thefirst paragraph of the page. Whenever it is practical to do so, theparagraphs are given headings or titles rather than numbers. If numbersare required, they are placed on separate master strips. These steps areillustrated at FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings.

When the master strips of the individual paragraphs are made, they aretyped without making any copies. If errors are made in typing, they neednot be erased but may be covered up in a suitable manner, such as theuse of a heavy white liquid. Several of such liquids are available inthe market and one is sold under the trade name Liquid Paper distributedby the Liquid Paper Corp. of Dallas, Texas. Any slight discolorationattendant the use of such liquids is not reproduced on copying machinesand accordingly the typist need not erase errors. After the applicationof such correction fluids, the rapid drying thereof allows the typistmerely to type over the corrected portion. Normally, short paragraphsare typed and accordingly a whole paragraph may be discarded andrewritten if the errors are numerous. If a long paragraph is typed, itmay be divided into several strips as indicated. This procedure assuresthat typing errors never require a full page to be retyped in order tomake necessary corrections. In most cases, the errors can be obscured bythe correction fluid. The same procedure will admit of revisions andadditions to the context without the requirement of retyping. After allof the paragraphs or titles or numbers have been placed on the masterstrips, the various pages which will constitute each page of thedocument may be composed, as

will now be described.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings, numeral 14 denotes generallya document carrier defined by a back flap portion 16 having a non-skidsurface 18 and a top flap portion 20. The flap 20 is flexible asindicated and may be composed of a clear acetate or other plasticmaterial which is transparent.

The backing portion 16 and the flap 20 may be provided with integraltabs 22 to facilitate handling. The flap and backing elements may beintegral and of the same material. Alternatively a separate non-skidsurface sheet may be inserted in the carrier 14, substituting for thesurface 18 of flap 16.

Referring now to FIG. 6 of the drawings, numeral 24 denotes a support ora board to which is attached at its upper portion thereof with aflexible and transparent member 26 having a plurality of parallel lines28 imprinted, impressed, or otherwise associated therewith. The lengthof the flap 26 is such that when folded down it covers the entireportion or length of the board or support member 24.

As indicated at FIG. 6, the individual master strips are placed on thedocument carrier 14. The master strip paragraphs are inserted in thedesired order and because of the underlap provided for each paragraph,the page may be to a certain extent expanded or contracted so that theparagraphs constituting a page will fill the page in a convenient andesthetic manner. The pages are numbered by the master strips which areinserted at the bottom or at the top and the various pages which havetitles are formed in the same manner. After the various master stripshave been placed in the document carrier 14 on top of the nonslidesurface 18 in the desired relationship with each other, the flexibleflap 20 is folded down on top of them. The document carrier 14 is theninserted into the support board as indicated at FIG. 6 and the flap 26allowed to drop. The horizontal alignment of the text material on themaster strips may be checked by comparing it with the horizontal lines28. After this checking has been made and after any realignment has beenmade to assure proper horizontal alignment, the flap 26 is lifted andthe outer surface of the sheet is charged with static electricity. Thismay be done for example by the use of a blackboard eraser covered with anon-skid material as felt. The eraser is rubbed over the top of thesheet 20 to create enough static electricity to maintain the masterstrips in place. The particular document carrier 14 which is nowcomplete may now be placed to one side for similar operations on otherdocument carriers for the composition of still other pages in thecompleted document.

The support board 24 shown at FIG. 6 of the drawings is a convenientvehicle for checking the alignment of the material and the propercomposition of an entire page of a document.

The master strips may be stored in a loose-leaf notebook provided withan acetate or mylar jacket for their reception. In addition, each of theparagraphs or master strips may be reproduced on a separate looseleafsheet which is then inserted into a loose-leaf notebook. Theseparagraphs may be appropriately numbered and labeled so that they may bequickly located. Copies of the master paragraphs in the looseleafnotebooks may be referred to when a type-written document requirescomposition. Whenever additional or revised master paragraphs arerequired, master strips may be made as set out above and the stripslater stored in the loose-leaf notebook after reproduction is made onloose-leaf pages.

What is claimed is:

l. A document carrier assembly including,

a backing sheet,

a non-slip material covering one planar side of said sheet,

a plurality of strips having side edges defining equal widths and eachhaving a top edge and a bottom edge,

printed matter on each of said strips spaced a fixed and identical firstdistance from the top edge of each of said strips and a fixed andidentical second distance from the bottom edge of each of said strips,said first distance defining an underlap portion of each of said stripsand said second distance defining an overlap of each of said strips,

said strips disposed on said non-slip material in aligned relation witheach other with the underlap underlying the overlap of its adjacentstrip,

a transparent sheet overlying said strips and being of a materialsusceptible of accepting and holding a static charge of electricity andbeing integral with said backing sheet, to thereby attract the saidstrips and hold them in place relative to each other and the transparentsheet,

a composer board having means for positioning said backing sheetthereon,

said board also including means for visually determining the horizontalalignment of said strips, said aligning means defined by a transparentand flexible sheet having spaced and horizontal parallel lines thereonand placed over said first-mentioned transparent sheet. i

The document carrier of claim 1 wherein said composer board is providedwith a recess for positioning said backing sheet thereon.

1. A document carrier assembly including, a backing sheet, a non-slipmaterial covering one planar side of said sheet, a plurality of stripshaving side edges defining equal widths and each having a top edge and abottom edge, printed matter on each of said strips spaced a fixed andidentical first distance from the top edge of each of said strips and afixed and identical second distance from the bottom edge of each of saidstrips, said first distance defining an underlap portion of each of saidstrips and said second distance defining an overlap of each of saidstrips, said strips disposed on said non-slip material in alignedrelation with each other with the underlap underlying the overlap of itsadjacent strip, a transparent sheet overlying said strips and being of amaterial susceptible of accepting and holding a static charge ofelectricity and being integral with said backing sheet, to therebyattract the said strips and hold them in place relative to each otherand the transparent sheet, a composer board having means for positioningsaid backing sheet thereon, said board also including means for visuallydetermining the horizontal alignment of said strips, said aligning meansdefined by a transparent and flexible sheet having spaced and horizontalparallel lines thereon and placed over said firstmentioned transparentsheet.
 2. The document carrier of claim 1 wherein said composer board isprovided with a recess for positioning said backing sheet thereon.